PRS SE questions

[thx712517]

Hey there folks, I'm at fork in the road here and looking for advice on which way to go. I've currently got a 2013 Tremonti SE single cut, bought new so I've had it for a while now. It's been modified visually to make it look more to my tastes - nothing wrong with all black, but I did cream pickup rings, cream switch tip, amber knobs. I did swap out the stock pickups for Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro humbuckers, but otherwise it's stock.

Thing is, I've taken a dislike to my tone. Doesn't sound great, and I find myself wanting a trem of some sort. My first guitar had a Bigsby, and every few years I seem to get fixated on having a wiggle stick to play with. They're fun, but I don't have a big catalog of songs that require a trem. In the past I haven't cared for things falling out of tune, and a stoptail is always so much easier to string up than a Bigsby or a Strat style trem.

But here I am, not caring for my tone, and wondering what to do. I could put more money into the Tremonti by swapping in A5 magnets to replace the A2s. Turns out I'm an A5 guy, who knew. I'm using 9s and can't get it to intonate completely, but there's always the Mann bridge with adjustable saddles I could buy. On the plus side I've known the guitar for years now, it's super light, balances well on a stra. Guitar Center will only give me $222 for it, so it's not worth much in a trade and the locals around here aren't fond of PRS so fat luck selling it private party. No, I don't want to ship it.

Then there's the idea of going with a different guitar. I've played a ton, Gibson through Gretsch through Fender and more. I find myself liking, really liking, the Fender Player series Stratocaster. It fits on me great when seated, and unfortunately my playing going forward is going to be seated. I like the single coil sound right now, but in the past I had an American Special Strat and ended up trading it because it sounded "too thin" to me. Of course that's back when I didn't understand things like tone knobs, messing with volume, and amp settings. Dumbass. The satin finish maple neck also feels great in hand, much faster than the gloss neck of my PRS. They're running $675, which means after knocking off the $222 from my trade I'm still on the hook for $453, and I'd want to replace the bent steel saddles with Graph Tech's String Saver saddles for more comfortable palm muting.

So then I'm looking at a third option, which is the PRS SE Standard 24. Light weight like my Tremonti, all mahogany body like my Tremonti. Wide thin neck though, instead of wide fat. Not sure what's inside the pickups magnet-wise, or output. The only SE 24 I've been able to play around here is missing its trem arm (stupid thieves making it hard on the rest of us tire kickers) so I don't know how the trem feels on it or how well it returns to pitch. I like a trem closer to a Bigsby in that it's a deliberate movement requiring a little muscle rather than a pinky finger dive bomber. The SE 24 also has a coil split option, which sounds awesome on paper but in reality has been underwhelming.

There can be only one. Do I swap magnets on the Tremonti, Sharpie out the logo on the head stock, get the Mann bridge so I can fine tune my intonation and just not play songs needing a trem? Do I leave the PRS world and grab a Strat, putting on new saddles for comfy palm muting and maybe locking tuners, and trust in my ten years of playing since selling my old Strat to thicken up the tone when it starts to feel thin? Or do I go over to the SE Standard 24, and over time find more inspiring pickups to replace what's in there?

 

[Black Plaid]

You could try putting a Bigsby on the Tremonti.

Problem with a Bigsby is it's a pain to change strings on and they don't call it "The never-tune bridge" for nothing.

Reverend claims to have solved the tuning problem with custom springs for theirs. Check out the Anderton's video with Greg Koch that was out last week some time.

Changing out the bridge will definitely change the tone, so I'd wait until after that before doing any pickup swaps to see if it's more in line with what you are looking for.

 

[thx712517]

You could try putting a Bigsby on the Tremonti.

Problem with a Bigsby is it's a pain to change strings on and they don't call it "The never-tune bridge" for nothing.

Bigsby doesn't scare me. My Gretsch was a hollow body with a floating bridge and a Bigsby, and I got quite good at it. However the Tremonti I've got just has the wrap tail, so my understanding is the only way I could install a Bigsby is by screwing it on. Done that once with a different guitar, not going to do that with this one.

How is the SE 24 for adjusting the tremolo sensitivity? Add springs/adjust the claw like on a Strat, right?

 

[Boogie]

Bigsby doesn't scare me. My Gretsch was a hollow body with a floating bridge and a Bigsby, and I got quite good at it. However the Tremonti I've got just has the wrap tail, so my understanding is the only way I could install a Bigsby is by screwing it on. Done that once with a different guitar, not going to do that with this one.

How is the SE 24 for adjusting the tremolo sensitivity? Add springs/adjust the claw like on a Strat, right?

Trem sensitivity is relative to the gauge strings you install. You set the tension to get the bridge to float parallel with the body, so that’s the determining factor. Adjust with the claw, just like a Strat, yes.

 

[andy474x]

So, what specifically is it you don’t like about the tone of your current SE?

I take it by saying you prefer A5, you like things on the brighter side? Magnet swap would be a cheap and easy mod. Many people also don’t realize different strings can have a huge impact on tone, if you’re using pure nickel now, a set with nickel plated steel would also brighten your tone. Beyond that, I wouldn’t recommend barking much further up that tree. Bridge changes have been subtle for tone in my experience. An SE Custom or Standard with a trem and maple neck will take you into a different ballpark tonally.

 

[thx712517]

So, what specifically is it you don’t like about the tone of your current SE?

I wish I could phrase it properly, but I'm going to try by way of comparison. I recently took my PRS to a guitar store and compared it with an SE Custom 24 since that's what they had, and a Stratocaster.

I found myself drawn to the perceived clarity and liveliness of the A5 single coils in the Strat over the muddier/run-together sound of the A2 humbuckers. The humbuckers in my PRS sounded thicker but also less clear, more overlapping. Not in a bad way, just not to my taste at the time. The SEC24 I tried at the same time unfortunately had very dead strings and could barely hold tune, so I won't get into it with that one.

 

[andy474x]

I wish I could phrase it properly, but I'm going to try by way of comparison. I recently took my PRS to a guitar store and compared it with an SE Custom 24 since that's what they had, and a Stratocaster.

I found myself drawn to the perceived clarity and liveliness of the A5 single coils in the Strat over the muddier/run-together sound of the A2 humbuckers. The humbuckers in my PRS sounded thicker but also less clear, more overlapping. Not in a bad way, just not to my taste at the time. The SEC24 I tried at the same time unfortunately had very dead strings and could barely hold tune, so I won't get into it with that one.

I think I know what you're getting at.

The "clarity" of a strat comes from a few things (at least), trem bridge, maple neck, and single coil pickups, all of those things add up to a tone that has an "immediacy" of sound and fast attack, and a sparkly and bright tone. I find the SECU24 to be somewhere in between a strat and your Tremonti, in that regard, it has the humbuckers which roll off some of the top end sparkle, but the maple neck and trem do give a note attack that fast and crystalline quality. It's hard to describe.

 

[Boogie]

You’re describing the basic differences between a single and dual coil pickup. Maybe you do need a change? In this case, I’d recommend looking at a classic P90 or P94 (full humbucker sized). Otherwise, there are many low turn pickup designs that can get very bell-like, especially with a twist of the guitar volume knob.

 

[thx712517]

It's one of those things that will have me endlessly chasing my tail. I'm in the mood for a trem right now, but I keep coming back to fixed bridge guitars. I'm in the mood for single coil A5 pickups, but I roll the tone down a good bit to keep them from being shrill.

It makes me wonder if I should look closer at the SE Standard 24. Light, set neck, humbuckers with coil splits, and the trem. I tried searching on the 85/15S pickups for specs and magnet type but came up empty.

 

[Boogie]

If it’s shrill, dial it out at the amp. Those knobs turn!

 

[merciful-evans]

I wish I could phrase it properly, but I'm going to try by way of comparison. I recently took my PRS to a guitar store and compared it with an SE Custom 24 since that's what they had, and a Stratocaster.

I found myself drawn to the perceived clarity and liveliness of the A5 single coils in the Strat over the muddier/run-together sound of the A2 humbuckers. The humbuckers in my PRS sounded thicker but also less clear, more overlapping. Not in a bad way, just not to my taste at the time. The SEC24 I tried at the same time unfortunately had very dead strings and could barely hold tune, so I won't get into it with that one.

The clarity of classic style single coils & a bolt on neck cant be achieved on anything else. Or if it can, its a rare beast I've never glimpsed. Strats sound great and are ok if you can play 'em (I have always struggled with the classic ones). A Silver Sky aint cheap! But a used SE EG might be an idea. I keep looking for one myself.

 

[dogrocketp]

The intonation thing is sticking in my throat. It’s how I got into PRS in the first place. Have the nut changed on the Tremonti, you don’t need a new bridge if you play 9’s or 9.5’s or 10’s. Have the guitar set up, then try lowering the pickups. Try the maple neck Se 24. It’ll be brighter and have greater clarity than the standard. Bag buying by magnet type. It doesn’t automatically give you the tone you want. It’s the sum of the parts. Your ears should tell you. Buy on approval if you’re not sure. Sometimes you need a few days to make up your mind.

 

[thx712517]

The intonation thing is sticking in my throat. It’s how I got into PRS in the first place. Have the nut changed on the Tremonti, you don’t need a new bridge if you play 9’s or 9.5’s or 10’s. Have the guitar set up, then try lowering the pickups. Try the maple neck Se 24. It’ll be brighter and have greater clarity than the standard. Bag buying by magnet type. It doesn’t automatically give you the tone you want. It’s the sum of the parts. Your ears should tell you. Buy on approval if you’re not sure. Sometimes you need a few days to make up your mind.

When I attempt to intonate, when I'm testing at the 12th fret I need to bring the bridge forward to bring the note into tune. However, I've run out of space to bring the bridge forward as the screw is backed all the way out. I'm using Nanoweb 9s. It's frustrating. Honestly, the whole guitar was frustrating this evening. Played around with pickup height, pole piece height, twiddled with the bridge height a little too. The tone just pissed me off, so I set it down and picked up my acoustic.

I want to make the Tremonti work because I already own it, but I don't want to put money into it anymore. I thought about buying some roughcast A5s to swap in, but I just don't want to deal with it anymore. Either I'll get an SE Standard 24, or I'll get a Stratocaster or Telecaster and call it done.

 

[dogrocketp]

One of the things I’ve always found interesting is that you cannot adjust a PRS the same way as an F or a G. I had an LP for 25 years, and had owned various F guitars. My whole reason for getting into PRS was because the intonation was so much better than any other brand. If you’ve in the DMV area, pm me and I’ll set it up for you. I had an SE Tremonti that was great, and I still have an SE Tremonti custom that also has killer intonation.

 

[thx712517]

One of the things I’ve always found interesting is that you cannot adjust a PRS the same way as an F or a G. I had an LP for 25 years, and had owned various F guitars. My whole reason for getting into PRS was because the intonation was so much better than any other brand. If you’ve in the DMV area, pm me and I’ll set it up for you. I had an SE Tremonti that was great, and I still have an SE Tremonti custom that also has killer intonation.

I'm a few states south, otherwise I'd take you up on your offer. I went from 9s up to 10s and will try intonating again tonight once they've settled. I'd like to give the guitar all the chances I can before I buy something else, within reason. There's no pinging when tuning up, and the pressure to fret on the first fret is the same as it is on the second or third fret, so I feel like the nut should be okay.